I’ve just returned from a week in Lake Placid, where I coached the U16 Boys component of the New England team. This was a stressful and busy week, but an extremely rewarding one as well. The U16 boys (“Da Boiz” as they became known) were a great group that raced fast, got along really well, and truly worked together and supported one another: exactly what you’d expect from a group of athletes at this level!
I’d like to share a few lessons that I thought about during the week, mainly brought on by carefully watching and contemplating what the top athletes and teams in the country were doing and how they were conducting themselves. Of course, not everything about this week is serious business, as you’ll probably see. That being said, here are a few takeaways!
1. Fast classic skis win classic races
From the U16 girls to the U20 men, the classic sprint day was the “tale of fast skis”. The course climbed straight up, then ripped straight down to the finish. It was untechnical to say the least. The long downhill meant plenty of opportunity to make time and moves with fast skis: almost universally, strong athletes in the heats were ones that chose minimal klister and ended up running or herringboning furiously on the uphill section in order to rocket down the ensuing descent and into the stadium. There was a marked line of “too much kick” and if that line was crossed, you could kiss your chances of advancing goodbye! It takes guts, a bit of technical skill, and a lot of faith in yourself and your training to purposefully err on the side of faster, slippier classic skis…but as strength training continues to evolve and equipment keeps getting better, this idea won’t go away anytime soon.
2. Fitness gets you in the top 20. Technique gets you from 20th to 10th. Build the first, then hone the second
At the Junior National level, it’s hard to pick out athletes who are just plain unfit: nearly every competitor is a stellar athlete psychically. Although there are a few exceptions, the large majority of the top 10 racers in each age group displayed great technique and balance. Much like World Cup racers, they “made it look easy” and weren’t necessarily the ones gritting their teeth or smashing away at their poles. Instead, they were the ones skiing smoothly with poker faces and minimal wasted effort. Knowing what they’ve been doing all summer from social media posts, every time I saw an Alaskan suit ski by I couldn’t help but start laying out trail running and rollerski routes in my head as I ponder the summer of training ahead and the increased amount of work our group will put in.
3. Independence goes a long way on race day
This was something that really stood out from one age group to another. The New England team tries to take a modern, World Cup-style approach to these races: that means there is a group of coaches whose job is almost entirely to be with the athletes, and there is a group of wax techs whose job is almost entirely to prepare skis. Some wax techs did not leave the cabin all day and their only race information and excitement came from the crackle of the radio. Some age group coaches did not touch race wax all week, as skis were simply handed to athletes and coaches ready to race from the smoking powdery trailer.
So this gives age group coaches flexibility to be with their athletes on race day, but there are other duties too. Taking splits for another age group, carrying skis from part of the stadium to another, shuttling athletes to and from the hotel…for athletes themselves, there is not a lot of hand-holding, even at the U16 level. The onus is on the athlete to test skis, report feedback, know when to get the timing chip on the leg, remember where they left their warmup skis, know the time-of-day in order to get to their start, etc. This is something that has to be practiced routinely at all times of the year: the most successful athletes have their own plans and follow them.
4. Discipline and consistency eliminate wasted time
When MNC athletes arrive at training, there is customarily a social timeframe for casually putting on boots and skis, chatting about class that day, deciding what to wear for the ski, etc. On our first training day, every single one of the U16 boys walked up to the van with their boots and ski clothes already on…and this was before we even started driving to the venue. This time, I was the one left inside as the skiers began their workout. In this case it was because I didn’t want to drive with my ski boots on, but you get the point. For most MNC practices, I can think of about 20-25 minutes of lost time spent getting ready to ski, coming in to change clothes or get a snack, and more. 20 minutes per workout, times 6 workouts a week, times 52 weeks per year…you can see where this idea is headed…
5. The higher the level of competition, the more each second counts
In the U16 men’s skate race, 8th place and 17th place were 9.9 seconds apart. That’s about the time it took you to read these two sentences.
Every transition, every low tuck, or every extra push out of a downhill or into an uphill, affects the shape of the race. At the highest levels of competition you need to be on your game even more.
13th place, 2.2 seconds from the top ten! Tim worked every part of the course for a great result on Monday
6. Every new event is a learning experience
Not anything new here, but something worth repeating. Ski racing is full of amazing opportunities, and each new step to a higher level brings athletes AND coaches up. On the car ride home Tim, Brandon and I talked a bit about the states of Championship level racing available for Vermonters. The U16 festival is a super fun event that is the first taste of an “Championship” travel weekend. Easterns is a step up in terms of serious focus and competitiveness going down the results sheet. Junior Nationals is on a whole different level, with “even the organizers and the town just doing everything right” so said Timmy. As another coach put it, the next level up, at World Juniors, is just intense focus and preparedness on all fronts.
So, make the most of each experience, and embrace the stepping stones of the ski world! With that, here are a few more fun random photos from the week:
Da Boiz getting ready for a pre-race speed at the base of the jumps. Weather early in the week was sunny and nice! Then things got cold…L-R Timmy, Zander, Josh, Will, Matt, Griffin
Getting in the team spirit with a little van decorating of our U16 Boiz minivan
A customary move is for your age group to bring gifts to the wax techs as thanks for great skis. Since the U16 boys knew they would not win on baking or cooking skill, we got a bunch of tasty chips and salsa and really tried to win on presentation with wrapping paper, a classy bow, and a some beautiful artwork
In case you hadn’t heard…New England once again claimed honors as top region in the country by a HEALTHY margin, winning the team score in EVERY race of the week en route to the overall victory (photo: NENSA)
All results via Superior Timing
